Brentford will have to take Notts County seriously if they want to progress to round four of the FA Cup, not that Dean Smith and his coaching staff will do anything else.

The likelihood is Dean Smith will use the game to give some minutes to the likes of Luke Daniels, Josh McEachran and Ilias Chatzitheodoridis among others but they still have the quality to claim victory over the Magpies.

However, Kevin Nolan's side appear to be on an upward trajectory under the ownership of Alan Hardy.

County, who have lost only three league games this season, are second in League Two on goal differenceand their bonus structure has been costing the club £40,000 a month.

Owner Hardy, though, believes it has helped motivate the players and has resulted in them claiming late winners when they could have taken a point.

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"It's going the wrong way [financially] due to the fact the players are doing so well on the pitch," said Hardy.

"Each month we're paying out over £40,000 in bonuses to players and management because they are on great win bonuses."

He continued to BBC Radio Nottingham: "That's how you motivate people, by putting it out there.

"You get bonuses for being top of the league, bonuses for [being in the] top three, and that's why players are scoring in the 96th minute, because it all goes towards motivation."

There is no doubt then that Hardy will be viewing the upcoming FA Cup tie as a chance to recoup some of that money.

Third round winners receive £67,500 which would cover a month and a half's worth of bonuses not to mention the additional funds a round four tie can bring. That windfall is not to be sniffed at from a Brentford perspective either as it can cover part of the squad's weekly wage.